


The Marooner's Waltz

by ArdentAspen2



Series: Monstrous Echoes [2]
Category: Alien (Prequel Movies), Alien Series, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Body Horror, Gen, Gothic, Horror, Leia needs a vacation, Luke Skywalker cameo, Mind the Tags, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Suspense, bottle episode, creepy crawlies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26894470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArdentAspen2/pseuds/ArdentAspen2
Summary: Following the events ofViolence in the Libraryand Luke Skywalker's subsequent capture on Mygeeto by Darth Vader, the Alliance must move their fleet or risk Luke's sacrifices being in vain. Princess Leia volunteers for a mission to the small ocean moon of Stheno to prepare for what may well be the end of the war. It isn't long before she realizes that not everything in the seaside town of Port Lethe is as it seems. People are vanishing in the night, and not a soul seems willing to talk about it.There are other dangers besides Imperials on Stheno.And there is more to fear than the Dark Side.
Series: Monstrous Echoes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1962178
Comments: 6
Kudos: 75





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Given that it's October now, it seemed like the most appropriate time to begin the sequel to Violence in the Library! It won't be as long as its predecessor (or at least, I don't plan it to be. But that's what I said about ViTL, too) but it should be a nice, spooky read for the Halloween season. Turn out the lights, put on some nice, sinister music, and enjoy!  
> Just.  
> Mind the shadows.

_“If you’re watching this, it means that I’m dead.”_

_“Or, well, if I’m not dead now, I probably will be soon.”_

_Luke Skywalker looked like a man with one foot in the grave. It had barely been two days since their escape from Cloud City. The gashes and contusions were only just beginning to fade, and there were circles beneath his eyes so dark that it was hard to read his expression._

_The temporary prosthetic the medics had given him trembled. It was inexact, and heavy, but it was good practice, they’d told him._

_“If...if you’re watching this right now, it means that I’ve been captured, but Artoo managed to escape.”_

_Luke bit his lip. The grooves his teeth slotted into bore witness to a soul in turmoil._

_“Leia. Wedge. Guys, I...I learned something in that city. On Bespin. Some- something_ **_bad_ ** _. And I- I don’t know if I have the courage to even say it out loud. Because if I do-” His voice cracked. “If I_ **_do,_ ** _then it means acknowledging the possibility that it could be true. That e- everything I- everything I knew was-”_

_Luke broke. His shoulders bowed under a weight he’d never been meant to carry alone, shaking under the force of muffled, stifled sobs._

_“I’m sorry, Leia! I’m so sorry! It’s_ **_my_ ** _fault. It always was.”_

_He covered his face. “The men we lost at Hoth. At Vrogas Vas._ **_Han_ ** _. He- it- it was all my fault! But I swear, Leia, I_ **_swear_ ** _I didn’t know!”_

_Still weeping quietly, Luke hunched over._

_“All my life, I was told that my father was a hero. A pilot. A Jedi. A_ **_martyr._ ** _” He spat the word out as if it had burned his lips. “General Kenobi...he told me that Darth Vader betrayed and murdered my father.”_

_From behind his hands, Luke’s face twisted in anguish. “He was a_ **_Jedi_ ** _, Leia! I believed him without question! And it was a_ **_lie_ ** _, every word!” He raised his head, blinking back tears. “Was it to spare me the shame? Or_ **_him_ ** _? Force, I don’t_ **_know!”_ **

_“He didn’t ki- oh Force I can’t, I can’t, don’t make me say it! Please, please don’t make me say it! H-he didn’t kill my father. T- that would’ve been too kind. He -- oh Leia, Leia_ **_please_ ** _don’t hate me! Please please don’t hate me! -- he told me that he never killed Anakin Skywalker. He’s...he claims he’s...he’s all that’s left of Anakin-_

_I_ **_can’t!_ ** _I can’t say it! Please, please, I don’t want it to be true…”_

_Luke seemed to fold in on himself, becoming smaller, more vulnerable. “I fought him in Cloud City. He...he cut off my hand. And wh- while I was helpless he- he_ **_told_ ** _me. What-” Luke sobbed. “What kind of man can_ **_do_ ** _that? Torture and maim and then ask you to- to_ **_defect_ ** _like none of it happened?! To someone he alleges is his-_

_No! I_ **_won’t_ ** _say it! I can’t!”_

_For several seconds more, Luke was inconsolable. He gripped his hair with his remaining hand as if he wanted to tear it out. “He wants my power, Leia. What I can do. He- he told me to join him. It’s what he’s wanted all along. He was...he was_ **_tracking me!_ ** _He tracked us through the Force, all this time, because of_ **_me!_ ** _I didn’t know the Force could do that, Leia, you’ve got to believe me!”_

_“He gave me an ultimatum. Said there was no escape. He said if I didn’t turn to the Dark Side, he’d be forced to kill me. B-but I would, I would rather_ **_die_ ** _than be a slave of the Empire! I managed to escape. Because of_ **_you_ ** _, Leia. But I d- I don’t think my luck is going to hold out forever.”_

_Luke wiped his tears away and looked up. “I don’t want it to be true. I keep telling myself it was a lie to trick me into defecting. But what if it’s_ **_not?_ ** _What if I_ **_am_ ** _some kind of...of_ **_Sithspawn_ ** _? If he catches me again, he isn’t going to be merciful. It’s...probably going to mean you need to move the Fleet. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. I’ll fight him. I’ll fight with every breath in my body. But he’s...he’s so strong, Leia. And I’m scared. I’m so scared. I don’t want to die. But I won’t be like him. I…_

_Leia? Wedge? Han. You’re gonna see this too, I know it. Chewie...Threepio...Artoo. I love you. All of you._ **_You’re_ ** _my family. I don’t care what’s in...in my blood. I d- I don’t regret one single moment we shared. Thank you for loving me, too.”_

_He reached out._

_“This is Commander Luke Skywalker, signing off.”_

The hologram flickered off and Artoo whistled mournfully. Leia rubbed her temples and leaned back against the wall.

“No, that’s okay, Artoo,” she sighed. “You don’t have to play it again.”


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke's been sending the Alliance coded messages whenever they can. This time, it's bad news.

When he landed the X-wing in the hangar, Wedge Antilles was not surprised to see the princess waiting for him. 

Nor was he surprised to see the same dark circles under her eyes that decorated his.

They both blamed themselves for Mygeeto. Leia for suggesting the place, Wedge for letting Luke go alone. It didn’t matter how often General Riekaan insisted that they couldn’t have known. Or how often they were reminded that the Alliance lost good people  _ every day, _ and they couldn't afford to let their personal feelings compromise their mission.

It didn't help.

_ Luke was gone.  _

Whether or not they would ever see him in person again was highly debatable at best. He had climbed into that cockpit, waved goodbye, and flown right into a trap. And Wedge had just let him go. Even teased him about the cold.

That kind of thing kept a man awake at night.

“We’ve got mail,” Wedge announced, dropping from the ladder. “I...didn’t get to see him, though.”

Leia shook her head. She looked older than her twenty-two years. There were responsibilities, and all too much grief on her shoulders.

“You know you wouldn’t have. He can’t jeopardize his position as a Fulcrum.”

She nodded towards the hangar door. “C’mon. Let’s go brief Command. I already know it’s going to be bad.”

"You don't know that," Wedge argued half-heartedly.

"I can feel it." 

Wedge squinted at Leia. “You sure you’re not a Jedi?” he muttered.

A year ago he would never have asked that. But now he wasn’t so sure anymore. Neither was Leia, apparently.

Luke's first message to her, from between the pages of the book in Mygeeto, spoke of Dagobah. The same planet where he had, apparently, been training to be a Jedi. He had insisted that Leia go there for explanations. 

If Luke still believed that place was safe, then Vader must not have known about it, at least.

Ever since she'd read that note, the name of the swampy world had haunted Leia's dreams. It echoed through the voice of old General Kenobi, whispering  _ "You must go to the Dagobah System." _

It was becoming more than a faint idea. The idea that she needed to go to Dagobah resonated almost daily through Leia's soul like an imperative. What explanation did she have other than the Force?

The more Leia leaned towards that imperative, the more she trusted her instincts over her eyes and her intuition over her hands. Her shots did not miss. Her eyes seemed to pierce minds. Even Mon Mothma sometimes watched her with a confused wonder, as though she suspected something she couldn't quite put words to.

High Command had already assembled by the time Leia and Wedge entered Admiral Ackbar’s temporary office. Luke was not their only Fulcrum, and Fulcrums were not their only spies. Intelligence briefings happened between the generals and the Alliance Intelligence Service regularly. The comfort of routine settled over Leia as she strode into the room. That was what had kept her going after Alderaan, and losing Han. This was how she would move forward without her best friend.

"Princess." General Airen Cracken nodded to her. "Antilles. The exchange went well?"

Wedge saluted. "Yes sir. The next drop will be on Basteel."

He held up the data chip he had recovered from the dead drop. 

"The files were encrypted, but my Artoo unit says it's an old code."

Cracken took the chip and inserted it quickly into the holo terminal. He looked to Chancellor Mothma to give him the go-ahead, then began working through the codes. It  _ was  _ an older code. One the Alliance had broken weeks ago. Few Imperial transmissions were still using it, which made it even more obvious that this was meant for Alliance eyes.

“Alright,” Cracken murmured, “That’s got it.”

Admiral Ackbar frowned thoughtfully and folded his hands behind his back. “That’s a lot of encryption for a data file.”

“Because it isn’t a data file, Admiral,” Cracken said. He flipped a dial, and the projector lit up. “It’s a full audio transmission.”

A symbol appeared over the holo terminal: the same marking Fulcrums had been using as their signature since Ahsoka Tano began the operation, more than five years ago. Even with the speaker’s voice electronically distorted for security, Leia knew who it was.

**_“This is Fulcrum. Code clearance set Two-Two-Five-Red, care of the Old Folks’ Home. This message is for the Alliance Intelligence Service. There is a threat in the Outer Rim. The Empire is preparing a new offensive.”_ **

Leia folded her arms across her chest and inhaled slowly through her nose. There. She didn’t know what it was Luke was going to say, but she knew that  _ this  _ had been what her bad feeling was about.

**_“My source comes from the highest levels of authority. The Empire_ ** **_is_ ** **_constructing a new superweapon. Whether it will follow the same blueprint as the Death Star is not yet clear, but if it does, they’re unlikely to leave in the same design flaw we exploited before.”_ **

The air seemed to leave the room in a rush.

_ A new Death Star.  _

The Empire was building another planet-killer. And if they had learned from their past mistakes, the likelihood of the Rebellion being able to destroy it had drastically decreased. 

They were facing worse than the possibility of more worlds lost. Trillions of lives, vaporized in moments. Entire ecosystems destroyed, thousands of species of plants and animals extinct in the blink of an eye. 

This was the end of the war, staring them in the face.

Luke sounded shaken, even with the distortion in his voice.

**_“I don’t need to be High Command to tell you how bad this is. My...source...believes it’s going to be larger than before. It may even have a greater range, like the Farkiller. And unless we get more information on this_ ** **_quickly_ ** **_, we’re not going to stand a chance. I assure you, the emperor_ ** **_is_ ** **_crazy enough to use a weapon like this without hesitation or discretion.”_ **

“It’s an extinction event,” Leia realized. 

_ Just like Alderaan.  _

**_“General Cracken, I’m requesting a rendezvous with the agents of the Bothan spynet on Basteel in four weeks’ time. My contacts can get them into the sector of the Outer Rim we believe is being used for the station’s construction. It…”_ ** Luke paused, and his tone was considerably subdued.  **_“It won’t be easy. Or safe. There are going to be casualties. Of my own accord I would not recommend this mission. But I know my experience in planning battles is limited compared to you and my source. This may be our only chance. F- My source-”_ **

There was a long pause, as if Luke realized he’d almost given away his source. 

Not that High Command hadn’t guessed exactly who his “source” was the first time the highly classified information started coming through.

Luke seemed to give up.  **_“Kriff it. I’ll just add more encryption. My source is Darth Vader. There’s discord in the highest levels of the Imperial Navy. That’s all I can tell you for now. My father can get us the clearance codes, but he can’t compromise our position. We’re a month out from Zastiga. You have until then to move the flagship. Fulcrum out.”_ **

General Rieekan groaned as the hologram flickered off. “A new Death Star. Of  _ course  _ there’s a new Death Star.”

Mon Mothma tapped one finger to her lips thoughtfully. “The Alliance -- and the galaxy itself -- are in grave danger. But this news that Darth Vader himself has chosen to aid our efforts is not to be taken lightly. If there truly is disunity between the emperor and his sword arm, the time to strike may be nearer than we think.”

“Chancellor, the Fleet is scattered to the edges of the galaxy,” Rieekan said wearily. “We don’t have the firepower to take on another battle station now.”

“Not now, no,” Admiral Ackbar interjected. “But if we gather the Fleet, we can begin to formulate an attack.”

Leia uncrossed her arms and stepped forward. “I think it’s time to start Operation Yellow Moon,” she said. “Beyond a hypothetical plan. We need to start preparations  _ now.”  _

Madine seemed like he was going to argue at first, but Leia shook her head firmly. “If we wait until after we get the report from the spynet, we’ll be too vulnerable. Luke bought us enough time to get the info we need. Now we need to buy time for the Fleet to assemble.”

Cracken nodded. “Right. I’ll talk to the spynet. We’ll set the Basteel rendezvous in motion. But we’re going to need attention off of us if Skywalker is going to get the data to our spies.”

“We can consider it a trial run of Yellow Moon,” Leia suggested. “Let’s get a team together to place transponders in uninhabited sectors, make it look like we’re getting ready for something big. Once that gets  _ someone’s  _ attention, the Basteel rendezvous can go ahead.”

For the first time since the beginning of the meeting, Wedge spoke up. “What about Stheno?” 

“Stheno?” Madine frowned. “I’m not familiar with that name.”

“I went once with my granddad when I was a kid,” Wedge offered. He grimaced. “It’s not much, just a small life-supporting moon in the Aeos system. Nominally Imperial-affiliated, but nobody bothers them because they don’t really have any resources the Empire wants. Not much tactical use in an export of fish that are allegedly delicious with the added charm of being hideously ugly.”

“Stheno, then.” Rieekan cleared his throat, and shuffled over to a wall console to start pulling up information. “We’ll look into it. Thank you, Antilles.”

They dispersed not long after that. There would be another emergency summit soon, but for now, they needed to prepare. When the room had emptied, only Mon Mothma and Leia were left. Leia still stared at the dormant holoprojector, deep in thought.

“That was a far cry from the emergency message Skywalker sent after Bespin,” Mothma mused, breaking into her thoughts. 

It wasn’t the first time someone had brought it up, but it felt more relevant now, knowing that  _ Vader  _ was their informant.

“It seems that the commander’s fear that Vader would kill him for his rejection was unfounded, I suppose.” Mothma sighed and rubbed her temples in a rare break in composure. “Not that it’s likely to be a pleasant experience for Skywalker. I do not envy him the task of keeping his head -- and his soul -- in an environment like the one Vader must be keeping him in. The poor boy, he’s taken on quite a burden on our behalf.”

“Vader won’t kill him.” Leia didn’t know why she was so sure, but she  _ felt  _ it in her bones. “Whatever happened on Mygeeto, Vader willingly took part in it. It doesn’t feel real. A monster like Vader can’t wipe the blood off his hands. But I... _ know.  _ I know he’s not going to betray Luke.”

“Another of your “feelings”, Leia?” Mothma looked intrigued. “You know, you’re beginning to sound a lot like Skywalker did when talking about Jedi training. Do you think those feelings are coming from the Force?”

Leia paused. That wasn’t really the kind of question one answered rashly. She had always had “feelings”. Instincts, premonitions, her parents had never quite agreed on what to label them. And so she had grown up accepting them as completely normal.  _ Was  _ it the Force?

It was getting pretty difficult to find any other explanation.

“Yes, Chancellor. I think they are,” Leia answered. “And I...I think the Force is telling me I need to go to Stheno with the diversion team.”

Mothma frowned. “I can’t risk you on a mission like that based on just a “feeling” alone, my dear. If anything were to happen to you, it would be a major propaganda victory for the Empire, and I cannot allow that.”

Leia understood that, of course. The last Princess of Alderaan. The Symbol of Endurance, to some. There were more expectations on her shoulders  _ now  _ then there had been as a child in her mother’s palace. So many versions of her in millions of minds, representing a myriad of different things. It was humbling. And  _ suffocating.  _

If the Empire captured her, or killed her, it would be a major blow to the Rebellion.

But at the same time, the problem with being a Symbol was that after a while, people started to stick her up on a pedestal and forget that she was a soldier, too. Leia hated the idea of being held back, protected in her tower while her friends went to fight the monsters. As if she was any more important than each of them.

“The Alliance is bigger than any one of us, Chancellor,” Leia said. As they had ever since she was a sixteen year old senator, Leia’s words seemed to be filled with power: solid and unyielding as iron, gentle and persuasive as a song.

“You can’t tell us not to treat Luke as more important than the mission and then turn around and tell us that I’m too important for a mission. If it’s a matter of propaganda,  _ they have the pilot who destroyed the Death Star.  _ Don’t you think that was important?”

“That they already have Skywalker is precisely why I can’t risk  _ you,”  _ Mothma argued.

Frustration rose up Leia’s throat. From the moment Wedge had mentioned the name Stheno, it had reverberated in her mind with an increasing sense of unease. If it truly was the Force, then shouldn’t she listen to it?

“Then I offer you a compromise,” Leia finally said. “Let me meditate on the mission, the way Luke does. If my bad feeling does not continue, I will stay here to coordinate Operation Yellow Moon. But if I, for some reason, gain further insight into that bad feeling, I need to be on that mission.”

“This is uncharted territory for us both, my dear,” Mon Mothma said. “You have never been taught to use the Force as Skywalker has.”

“He only had a little teaching,” Leia said with a shrug. “I’ve been there while he meditates often enough to know how he does it.”

Mon Mothma nodded unhappily. “Very well. I may not like it, but if the Force  _ does  _ show us a particularly clear direction, I will trust you to tell me.”

“Thank you, Chancellor.” Leia smiled thinly. “I’ll let you know if I get any answers.”

_ If that’s even how the Force works… _

Leia Organa was no stranger to meditation. Nor was she unfamiliar with strange premonitions and slightly uncanny abilities. But it had always been a passive thing in her life. Something that simply  _ was,  _ rather than something to be consciously practiced. A state of  _ being _ , not a state of  _ doing.  _

Leia had  _ absolutely no idea  _ how to access the Force deliberately. So as she looked for a quiet, secluded place, she couldn’t help hoping that she wasn’t about to just waste her only chance to go along on the Stheno mission.

“Show me,” she whispered, settling into a supply room in the back of the safe house. “Like you show Luke.”

It took time to clear her mind. There were so many worries, so many matters that weighed down her heart on a daily basis. Leia exhaled through her nose and thought of the lake outside the palace on Alderaan. Mirror-smooth, peaceful. Tranquil.

_ Let me be like the lake. _

That had always been how she kept calm in the Senate as a child. 

_ Let me be like the lake. I am calm. I bury my life in the depths. You see only what I reflect back to you. I am the lake. I am the mirror. I am still.  _

It was...cold. And all she could hear was the sound of her own breathing. Was this what the Force was supposed to be like? Maybe she was doing it wrong.

_ No, I am still. Try to focus. _

There was something Luke had said once or twice after Bespin that stuck out to Leia. He’d muttered it sort of bitterly, but it was a sound statement, if a bit cryptic.

_ Do or do not, _ he’d said,  _ There is no “try”.  _

No “try”, huh? Leia wondered if it meant that her meditation wasn’t going to work as long as she only dipped a toe in, worried that she wasn’t doing it right. Han probably would have just phrased it as “go big or go home”.

Gods, she missed Han.

Leia didn’t shove the pain down this time. It would have been too distracting to tell herself not to think about him. She let the sorrow wash over her and ebb, like the tide.

And the world fell away.

It was a curious thing, to feel as if she was somehow herself and yet scattered across the stars. The smallest pinprick of a life and the vastness of life itself, simultaneously. There were lights everywhere, but she couldn’t grasp them.

_ Show me.  _

One of the lights, somewhere far to her left, seemed to flare for a moment. Filaments of moon-silver stretched towards her -- or where her mind seemed to be -- as if they were curious. And for just an instant, Leia could have sworn she heard -- or  _ felt  _ \-- someone calling her name. But the sensation was lost as quickly as it had come.

_ Please. Show me Stheno.  _

The stars twisted dizzyingly, linking and breaking apart in clouds. They showed her nothing. But slowly, she began to  _ hear _ .

There was a hissing sound, soft at first, then rising until the noise of waves drowned out the stars. Between the crash of the water, there was screaming. Pain.

Someone was whistling.

The tune was familiar to her. Classical music of some kind. But she couldn’t quite place it. It filled her with a dread she could not understand.

Something evil was happening on Stheno. Or perhaps was yet to happen? Luke had told her once that premonitions were tricky, but hadn’t elaborated.

Leia heard a voice she knew. Nien Nunb, a smuggler who flew for the Alliance. He was calling out for help. Suffering. Leia heard blaster fire, and Nunb’s voice cut off abruptly. The screaming stopped, and eventually so did the whistling. There was nothing but the waves.

_ Are these shadows of what may happen if I go? Or if I stay behind?  _

The waves quieted, and became irregular. Distorted, choppy. 

No, not waves.

Sobs.

_ “Princess! Help me!”  _ a distorted voice wept.  _ “Don’t let them take-!”  _

The sobbing grew louder and louder, and the whistling and waves returned in a deafening crescendo. Leia tried to extricate herself from the vision, but it was as if her body would not obey her.

**_“What is in your head?”_ **

Leia’s eyes snapped open. With her concentration broken, she collapsed back against the wall, panting.

_ What had just happened?  _

That wasn’t her imagination. Leia could come up with every worst-case scenario possible, but usually it was something she visualized, not something she heard. That had been real, whatever it was.

“I...just used the Force,” Leia whispered.

Hearing the words out loud made it more real.

_“I just used the Force!_ I _can_ do that. I _knew_ it!”

For a moment, giddy elation bubbled up in her chest. She’d felt so  _ free  _ at first. Like she could fly forever. Was that what it was like for Luke all the time? 

Her excitement ebbed just as quickly. She couldn’t  _ tell  _ Luke. Even if she were to send him a coded message, Leia couldn’t risk Darth Vader -- traitor to the Empire or no -- finding out she had the same power as Luke. For all they knew, he’d try to capture her, too.

The echo of the haunting melody teased at the edge of Leia’s mind again, and she shuddered. Her “bad feeling” was being corroborated by the Force. But she wasn’t exactly happy to be right. Whatever was happening, or going to happen, there, it was bad.

Mon Mothma did not seem overly surprised when Leia reappeared in the office an hour after the briefing. There was a sadness in her eyes that Leia wasn’t sure she’d noticed before.

“I take it the Force has given you an answer.”

She wasn’t even surprised! Leia straightened her shoulders and nodded.

“I understand that it may seem difficult to believe, but this is more than gut instinct. I  _ heard _ our men calling for my aid on that world.” It sounded like an excuse, even to her ears. “We need to go to Stheno.  _ I  _ need to go to Stheno. If we fail there, Luke will be caught and our spynet will fail. I don’t know why, yet, but it’s-”

“The will of the Force,” Mon Mothma finished heavily. She sank back into her chair and sighed. “You know, I remember the days of the Jedi Order. Before the Purges, no one would question a statement like that. I always wondered if you-”

She cut herself off quite abruptly. “Nevermind.”

She knew something she wasn’t saying. That had never concerned Leia before; compartmentalization was a safety precaution in the High Command. But something tugged at the back of her mind about the statement. It seemed important, somehow.

Leia dismissed it for later.

“Chancellor, will you let me take part in the Stheno mission?” she asked.

Mothma frowned down at the desk. “I suppose I must, if only to keep you from sneaking along without leave. But  _ promise _ me you will be careful, my dear?”

Leia smiled grimly at her. “Of course.”

The Chancellor nodded. “Then I’ll have Cracken send you the files on the team he selected. You leave in twelve hours. May the Force be with you.”

“And you, Chancellor.” Leia exited the office quickly.

Mothma leaned back in her seat and stared blankly at the wall a moment. History so often seemed to repeat itself these days. She could only hope it was not about to do so again.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leia's team arrives on Stheno, to a less than ideal welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! I meant to get this chapter out sooner, but then _Election Week happened_. Amid personal and impersonal chaos alike, it was a little bit of a fight to get this chapter completed (T-T)  
> But I did it!  
> And now that the set-up stuff is out of the way, next chapter I can finally start introducing the _weird_ stuff.

From space, Stheno was a cheerful blue sphere, spinning merrily through the cosmos. It wasn’t until the shuttle was nearly through the atmosphere that the perception changed. Parts of the moon were still bright, warmer near the equator. But the mission’s destination took them to Stheno’s northern hemisphere, away from the archipelagos of the south.

The seas here were black and troubled, tossing under heavy grey clouds as they passed through a storm cell. Nien Nunb tightened his grip on the controls and shook his head.

“I’m getting more lifeform readings than I thought down there,” he said. “Last time I was out by Port Lethe, it was all of six buildings. Looks like they expanded.”

That complicated matters slightly. The whole point of placing the transponder in Port Lethe was that it was supposed to be unoccupied, sending Imperials on a wild goose chase. If there were a lot of people living there now, the Rebels would need to find a different place to set the signal. They had already accepted that Operation Yellow Moon would come with heavy casualties. But not civilians. They were not the Empire.

Port Lethe had once been a fishing village, and that much was still evident in its construction. The whole of the town contained a total of only three landing platforms, and they were right where the network of docks had once been. Now there was only one pier that wobbled out into the bay as though clinging to its last shreds of dignity while rotting plank by plank. 

It wasn’t the sort of town that attracted tourists. Port Lethe had only modernized because the rest of Stheno dragged it along by the collar, to keep up with interplanetary commerce. Most of the residents had no Holonet access, and the buildings were a cobbled-together collection of old houses and shops with newer upgrades and repairs noticeably grafted on.

“Mind your manners down there,” Nunb warned as he began his final approach. “If they’re anything like the folks I met last time I was in Port Lethe, they’re not going to be too fond of outsiders. And they  _ definitely  _ won’t want you sticking your noses in their business.”

He brightened. “But that  _ does  _ mean they’ll stay out of  _ our  _ business, on the bright side.”

Leia tightened the strap on her holster and double-checked her blaster’s power cell. “Yeah, well. We’ll be careful anyway.”

Her eyes darted across the cockpit, privately assessing each of her crew. One communications expert, one slicer, one droid, and one princess. It was a small team, but any more than three and they risked drawing a  _ lot  _ of attention on such a small moon. Their cover, for the moment, was that they were buying a share in one of the fisheries and wanted to inspect the facility before making a final decision. 

That seemed to be the only reason  _ anyone  _ came to Port Lethe.

"Tier, you have the paperwork ready?" Leia asked the slicer.

The slicer scratched his stubbly jaw and nodded. “Gotcher landing permit, yer business portfolio, and a paper trail that’d fool even an astro droid.”

Offended by the insinuation, Artoo-Detoo made an enraged little whoop and pointedly turned his photoreceptor away from Tier.

“Aww, Cid, you hurt his feelings!” their communications expert drawled. Barely looking up from her data packet, the Devarronian smirked at Artoo.

“He didn’t mean anything by it, little guy.”

In a rather sulky whistle, Artoo informed them all that Cid Tier was  _ not  _ forgiven unless he could actually prove his statement correct.

Leia leaned over to review the paperwork one last time. Using a false name had been Cracken’s idea, but borrowing the surname of an old friend from the Senate had been Leia’s choice. Hopefully no trouble would come of it. But then, Pooja had always been the sort of person to enjoy a spot of trouble now and then. She probably wouldn’t mind.

“Alright everyone,” Nunb called back, “This is our stop!”

Leia breathed deeply. That prickling feeling of unease had faded for the moment, but it was still there at the edge of her mind. She tucked her blaster under her jacket and headed for the landing ramp as it lowered. Then she settled into a confident pose, and a relaxed expression. If you walked around with a purposeful stride and a determined look, most people assumed you knew what you were doing.

It had worked on the Alliance so far, anyway.

There was someone waiting for them at the edge of the landing platform. 

A tall, Twi’lek woman dressed in a severe gray blouse and skirt and carrying a databoard peered at them with a pinched expression. The moment she saw Leia, Zewart, and Tier, exit the shuttle, she marched towards them. Her heels made sharp, scolding, clacks against the platform.

“Miss Naberrie and company, I presume?” she asked in lightly accented Basic.

Leia nodded slightly. “Ah. Yes.”

Despite the balmy climate, the woman’s hand was cold and clammy when she took hold of Leia’s for a sharp, businesslike shake.

“On behalf of the Distombe Sei fishery, welcome to Port Lethe. Come, the company has provided a speeder for your use until your business is concluded. When your pilot returns, we will be happy to refuel the shuttle as well.”

Zewart raised her eyebrows. “Pardon me,” she interrupted politely, “What do you mean “when your pilot returns”? We’ve only just landed.”

The representative folded her hands primly, and her lekku curled up over her shoulders. “Oh, visiting ships don’t stay in Port Lethe,” she said quickly, “The weather doesn’t agree with outdoor landings, you see. I’m sure your pilot will find plenty of safe hangars up the coast in Euryaleton.”

The dark clouds they had seen while entering the atmosphere seemed to loom closer, and the soft breeze brought more than the smell of salt to them. A distant echo of thunder, barely more than a muffled complaint, warned them that the Twi’lek likely had a point. 

Even so, none of them liked it.

Zewart jogged back up the ramp to warn Nunb.

“Hey,” she called, “The lady says there’s bad weather coming, and that ships should be in closed hangars.”

Nunb scratched his cheek and made a rude noise. “Yeah? Convenient. There’s  _ always  _ storms blowing up on the coast. They just don’t like to be reminded that there’s a whole galaxy out there.”

He flapped a hand in disdain. “Travel is such a tricky business, you know. Nasty, uncomfortable thing. Makes you late for dinner.”

“So you think she’s exaggerating?” Zewart asked.

“Now, I didn’t say  _ that. _ ” Nunb twisted in place and popped a vertebrae before settling back into his chair. “I’m surprised they even have  _ landing platforms _ . There’s no way a backwater joint like this has covered hangars. It’s the princess’s call, but if we  _ do  _ have a gale coming in, I’d just as soon not clog the old bird up with salt water.”

With a nod, Zewart hurried back out to find Leia. The princess raised her eyebrows at her.

“What’s up, Luni?”

“He says our plucky little shuttle is many things, but seaworthy is not one of them,” Zewart joked. “He’d like to move it, at your discretion.”

_ We’re cutting off our escape, _ Leia thought. Or perhaps it was her instincts that whispered the idea to her. Still, if the next port was just up the coast, Nunb theoretically wouldn’t have much trouble reaching them in case of an emergency. 

_ Besides. If he isn’t here with me, whatever was going on in that vision can’t happen. Right?  _

“Sure.” Leia flashed a quick smile. “Euryaleton should be fine. Tell him to enjoy the weekend. We can always call him when we’re finished.”

The woman who had been waiting for them remained as collected and professional as she had been since they landed, but Leia saw her lekku visibly relax.

They really  _ didn’t  _ like outsiders in Port Lethe, did they?

By the time they had all awkwardly piled into the covered speeder, Leia felt like her lips were shriveling up from all the salt in the air. She climbed into the back seat, but kept close to the door. It didn’t seem particularly likely that this was a trap, but it was better to assume the worst than to be caught off-guard.

“I can’t tell you how much we appreciate this, Miss-?”

“...Jessl,” the Twi’lek woman begrudgingly introduced herself, “Dido Jessl. Floor manager of Distombe Sei.”

“The floor manager?” Leia painted on false interest and goodwill as easily as a favored shade of lipstick. “Oh, that’s  _ perfect! _ I wonder, Ms. Jessl, if you would be willing to tell me a little bit about Distombe Sei’s specialties. Is it true that yours is the only fishery on Stheno that doesn’t use artificial growth tanks to get the Northern Podder to grow so large?”

Jessl seemed relieved to talk business. She launched into a lively discussion of the fishery’s business practices with more enthusiasm than she’d shown since they’d landed. The others quickly tuned the conversation out, which annoyed Leia slightly. She could more than hold up the act on her own, but it would have been nice to have the others chip in at least once. The most her companions contributed was when Tier asked what the most dangerous fish in Distombe Sei’s tanks was.

“Oh, without a doubt, the socket-jawed vobseti,” Jessl answered. “There are stories of careless workers losing fingers and hands to the vobseti. Even being pulled in and devoured!”

The tips of her lekku flushed. “Of course, that’s never happened in  _ our  _ fishery. Our safety standards are the highest in Port Lethe.”

“Perfect!” Cid announced cheerfully, “I want to eat the vobseti.”

“Of  _ course  _ you want to eat the vobseti.” Zewart rolled her eyes.

Cid feigned offense. “I’m an obligate carnivore!”

“You’re not, you’re a regular old human with thrill issues.”

The playful little argument continued until the speeder stopped in front of a forbidding building with a faux-Lunian facade. A faded sign swung from two rusty chains with the words  _ The Powder Room  _ on it. The inn was not terribly welcoming, but Leia reasoned that it wouldn’t be the worst place she’d ever slept.

“I’ve arranged a tour of the facilities tomorrow morning at nine,” Jessl informed them as they exited the speeder. I do hope that your stay is both pleasant and productive.” 

She turned a bland smile on Cid. “I do recommend the crab and vobseti chowder they serve in the cantina. It’s quite bracing.”

The interior of  _ The Powder Room _ was dimly-lit, but clean. A podium at a small front wall held a guestbook and stylus. Leia and her crew stood at the podium for several seconds, but no one appeared. After nearly a minute, Artoo beeped loudly in the astromech equivalent of clearing one’s throat. In response, from around the corner shuffled a protocol droid so outdated that it had a geriatric wobble to its gait. It stepped up into the podium, then stared blankly at them.

“You...are not our regulars,” it hummed in a nasal voice. “Are you...searching, searching…guests?”

Leia smiled pleasantly. “Yes, there should be a reservation under  _ Naberrie.  _ Party of three.”

After a few seconds of alarming buzzing noises, the protocol droid stiffly flipped a few pages over in the ledger.

“Ah. Naberrie Party. Please place all weapons in the wall receptacle with your room numbers in exchange for your key. The cantina is open until nine, and breakfast is served at seven. The doors lock at sundown.”

“Which doors?” Cid asked.

“All of them!” answered the droid placidly. “It’s hurricane season. Unfastened doors invite hazards.”

“That’s...reasonable, I guess,” the slicer muttered. “So...which way to the cantina?”

The droid’s eyes flashed red as it pleasantly remarked, “You have not placed all your weapons into the holding receptacles.”

Reluctantly, the trio set their blasters and ammunition into the cubicles. Many inns followed similar protocols on quieter worlds. With a bittersweet pang, Leia thought of how Han would’ve protested the rule loudly and at great length. And Luke, having grown up on Tatooine, would’ve decried it as pure foolishness to deprive a guest of their weapons. 

_ Don’t give up, you two. I’m coming to get you, one way or another. _

Leia turned to face the droid. “There we are. Room keys, please?”

The droid’s eyes were still red. “You have not placed all your weapons into the holding receptacles.”

With a mumbled expletive, Zewart pulled a vibro-shiv from her boot and slapped it into the cube sullenly. The droid’s eyes shifted back to yellow and it stepped down from the podium. Out of a boxy apparatus on its chest, two flat cards emerged.

“Your room keys,” it said. “I will now escort you to the cantina.”

It waddled slowly away from the entry hall, creaking and groaning at the joints with every step.

Leia knew her companions were uneasy. That was what it was to be a Rebel at the moment. Anything and everything could be a potential trap. But for whatever her instincts were worth, Leia didn’t sense any particular danger in the inn itself.

Not that she’d had time to really learn how to “sense” danger at all, but she knew how to go with her gut. And right now, her gut told her to get inside and settle in before that thunderstorm reached shore.

“First one of you to say  _ “I got a bad feeling about this”  _ is getting slugged,” she whispered sharply, then followed the droid.


End file.
